


This is Definitely Not About A 10-Year-Old Pretending to Adult

by Anti_Social_Headphones_Kid



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Gen, I'll Update As I Go, Identity mishaps, Semi-Crack, probably gonna be sporadic updates ngl, y'all the entire Justice League is gonna adopt Billy by the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anti_Social_Headphones_Kid/pseuds/Anti_Social_Headphones_Kid
Summary: It's been a year of being on the Justice League, and thankfully no one has found out about Billy's secret identity! So that's a relief for him.-It is becoming very concerning for literally every other person in the League, though.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Billy Batson, Billy Batson & Bruce Wayne, Billy Batson & Clark Kent, Billy Batson & Diana (Wonder Woman), Billy Batson & Hal Jordan, Billy Batson & Justice League
Comments: 31
Kudos: 400





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, quick note! I don’t know very much about DC, and this will be based mostly on my knowledge of the characters from Young Justice and Justice Unlimited- I haven’t read very many comics- I just saw that there was a stunning lack of Captain Marvel fics (mind you, the ones that exist are seriously amazing and well-written) but our child deserves a TON more fics!!
> 
> Anyways!! If you wanna recommend any good comic arcs/shows/movies that I can read/watch, I’d be super grateful if you shared them!! (I’ve gone through a lot of Shazam comics tho, since sadly there aren't a lot)
> 
> That being said, I’m not really going to be following any sort of specific cannon, just sorta having fun with identity shenanigans and telling a story that I kinda just can enjoy writing, and I hope you guys have enjoy it too!

Everything started normal enough.

Well, at least that's how most things started, right?

Billy had started out with a normal life and a normal family- and even to his knowledge, he was normal himself.

Sure, maybe his parents were also super cool because they were archaeologists and spent their time travelling the world, and maybe he didn't realize that more often than not, having a good home life with a loving family was a hard sort of normalcy to reach, but he eventually learned that personally anyways.

Though losing his parents was hardly something abnormal- the abundant amount of kids in the foster system made that much clear.

No, the thing that had really separated him from regular people and led him to the path he was taking now, was when the wizard Shazam had given him his powers, making him one of the most powerful people on earth.

That's when he liked to point to his life getting weird to the point of no return.

And it was weird.

Battling mind worms and mad scientists sometimes made you question reality, but it was better than living a boring life.

But putting aside all the weird stuff, he was doing pretty well for himself.

Despite all the battles he fought, and villains he faced, here he was two years later, still alive, and still keeping Fawcett safe. 

Admittedly, he hadn't understood Shazam's choice- and he still didn't to a point- but there was no doubt that as a street kid, he had a better-kept identity than most people, especially with his experience in hiding from the foster system.

Plus, there was no one to worry about him, no one who knew his civilian identity, and no one to put in danger- it was him, and him alone- which was ideal when it came to being a hero.

And yeah, maybe it got lonely sometimes, but it wasn't as if he had a choice, either as Captain Marvel or as Billy Batson.

That wasn't to say that he was completely alone- there were a bunch of nice people around the city that he had befriended, that would offer him some food, or a few extra dollars (in exchange for a small job or some work- they knew Billy wouldn't take it otherwise) and of course, as Captian Marvel, he had the Justice Leauge to... associate with.

It was practically a dream come true to work alongside his heroes, yet, for the past year that's exactly what he'd been doing.

Though he hadn't really allowed himself to get close to them- it was for the best anyway- most of his duty was in Fawcett, to begin with, and while it was an honour to be apart of the league and be available to help the earth on a grander scale, the wisdom of Solomen would keep him focused on the business aspect of the job, which was especially hard when their HQ was a place as cool as the Watchtower.

Still, there were moments, like now, when he would forget himself, when he would be staring down at the endless expanse of space, and forget who was there, who he was supposed to be, and in all honesty, it was kinda nice to just stare up into the stars and forget time was ever a thing that even existed...

That is until he was interrupted at least.

He tried not to jump at the hand on his shoulder, but after so many years trying to outrun the system, any adult suddenly putting their hand on his shoulder stirred up a sort of fear that even the courage of Achilles had trouble handling.

At least he was quick to remind himself that this was a safe place, masking his startle and turning around instead. 

"Batman, sir," he greeted, glad that he didn't have to worry about how high his voice usually got when he was nervous as plain-old Billy. "What's up? I-I mean, how can I help you?"

"Captain, we called to start the meeting five minutes ago, will you be joining us?" Batman replied with his usual deep tone that was a lot more intimidating in person than he ever could've imagined.

Heck, every time he saw Batman again, he always assumed his mind had greatly exaggerated the intimidation factor of the man, yet that only led him to be just as intimidated as the first time. 

Batman probably never had to worry about sounding scared or grown-up, but then again, he sorta doubted Batman would even worry about sounding like an adult unless he too was under the guise of magic that made him look like a grown-up (though he already knew that wasn't the case since all of the Justice League members had shared their identities... most of them, that is).

"Captain Marvel," Batman spoke again, bringing him back to reality.  _ Shoot. _ Unfortunately, even though he was able to keep a hold of his nervous rambling tendency, he still didn't have quite enough control over his racing mind.

"Yes, right, of course, sir," he replied quickly, wondering what could be counted as a normal, non-childish reason for him to be staring out the window for so long like that. "I was just... caught up in my thoughts." Batman nodded like he understood and/or didn't care and wanted to get this conversation over with, but Billy, always desperate to leave an adult with no questions, kept on talking while also keeping up a steady pace for screaming at himself in his mind.

"Y'know, looking down over the earth, like this, it really opens up your eyes as to why we're here, and what we're doing. I mean, there are millions of people right below us, and we've been entrusted with each one of their lives," he stated, hoping that he sounded like he had been wisely contemplating life.

Whether it was the wisdom of Solomen telling him to shut up, or just his own common sense doing the screaming, he didn't know. It was probably both of them, honestly speaking.

Either way, it seemed like Batman didn't care, earning Billy a small nod, one that could range anywhere from agreement to annoyance. 

Deciding to just assume it was the first one and save himself potential embarrassment, he simply walked to the meeting room alongside the man, both of them silent the rest of the way.

Usually, he would try to strike up a conversation with the rest of the league members (he had even gotten to a friendly conversation point with Superman where he wasn't constantly trying to hide his excitement) but Batman seemed more distant- it was probably due to him being the worlds best detective- he knew how to hide his secrets perfectly well, even if his identity was already open to the league...

Huh, maybe he just didn't like talking. That was easier to say for the moment instead of considering the option that Batman might just dislike him, so he turned his mind to something else as he followed the bat into the meeting room, looking at the table of heroes.

Heroes that were in charge of protecting the earth, and  _ oh gods _ , he was apart of them- why was this just hitting now? He had been saving people on his own for a year before the Justice League approached him, and a year since he joined. 

At the time, he was too caught up in the fact that the League had invited him to even consider what it meant. Batman walked past him, bringing attention to the fact that he was just standing in the doorway, having some sort of weird... is this what an existential crisis felt like? 

_ 'Now's not the time Batson,'  _ he reprimanded himself, taking his seat at the table.

He tried to focus his attention on the meeting, and to his credit, he actually did pay attention at first, but it began to dwindle a bit when he realized it wasn't an immediate crisis- then again, he was apart of a group that was centred around protecting earth- so wasn't everything kind of a crisis?

Every person down there on the Earth, every being, was important, and they had to be there for them. He had to do his best for them.

Yet his hands were already pretty full with just Fawcett city- there were so many people going about their daily lives there, and he had promised to protect them- but what if one day he couldn't?

His mind drifted to the people he knew, and where they would probably be. It was only about 3 pm there, which is around the time school came out- a world filled with kids his age, but one that seemed so distant from his own. 

It was usually around this time that he would ask around the few shops in town if they needed any help with chores today since the well-meaning citizens who didn't know him wouldn't be as compelled to ask what he was doing out of school.

Mr. Jones had said that he might have work for him today at the diner, so hopefully, the meeting would be over soon so he could go- especially since Mr. Jones had the habit of giving him whatever leftovers they had for him to take home.

Sometimes he felt bad taking them since he knew there were other people, ones without superpowers or any access to food, yet sometimes he couldn't find it in himself to give it away, since honestly, he was also practically homeless (abandoned buildings weren't exactly the warmest place to call 'home') and almost always starving.

But what mattered was doing the right thing, helping people, no matter what- and  _ shoot _ , he had just gotten lost in his thoughts again (though could you blame him? These meetings weren't the most exciting aspect of being on the Justice League).

Snapping back to attention, he glanced around the table, looking if anyone had noticed his mind glazing over- and just when he was about to celebrate by allowing himself some good-old relief, he locked eyes with Superman, who was staring directly at him.

Billy broke their contact and instead focused on Batman, who was conducting the meeting and attempted to reclaim his dignity by acting very interested in what was being discussed by the detective.

Eh, it wasn't anything to worry about. It's not like Superman would be a tattletale, that just seemed kinda ridiculous, especially for an adult- and, as disappointing as it was, the other Leaguers hardly ever talked to him outside of a simple, 'hi,' 'hello,' since he soon realized that having a conversation with someone while trying to hide everything about yourself was challenging to do, and the others seemed to catch his vibes of discomfort.

So... at least he didn't have to worry about things like someone being concerned about his personal life, or emotions, or really anything that he was guessing friends talked about.

Thankfully the meeting moved along quickly (with no sudden, but well-timed alerts that always seemed to happen when they were all together), and he was able to leave with the rest of the heroes.

Checking the time quickly, he started to make his way over to the Zeta-Tubes, briefly pausing by the windows to take in the still-thrilling sight of the earth and the stars around them.

Everything so much more brilliant up here, and it was truely the safest place he had.

Yet, his mind drifted back to the world below, and the safety they all worked to provide for those people.

He was about to continue his journey to the tubes, but suddenly a voice behind him spoke.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?"

Billy turned to see Superman behind him, staring out the window and across the stars.

"Yeah, it's... still not something I'm used to," Billy admitted, looking back at the earth, and in effect, its people. 

They stood together in silence for a moment. And while Billy knew he should've left, something was holding him to stay- maybe it was the fear of being rude to one of his idols.

He was just about to offer up some heroic excuse as to why he had to leave (but not  _ too _ heroic in case Superman insisted on coming), when the man in question finally spoke.

"I don't know you very well, Captian, and I'm afraid this will come off as a bit blunt but is everything alright? You seemed a little... tense at the meeting."

"Yeah, sorry, I was just... kinda thinking," he replied before mentally slapping himself. Superman didn't want to hear the inner thoughts of some 10-year-old. "It's stupid, don't worry about me."

"I'm sure it's not stupid," Superman assured, stepping to his side. "What's on your mind?"

Billy looked at the man beside him. He didn't seem condescending or annoyed, but... genuine, maybe? It wasn't exactly something he was used to seeing displayed by adults. 

"There are people down there- people who rely on us to save them- families, children, even people just having really bad days... they all depend on us, and sometimes, I can't help but wonder if we can actually help that many people."

"We can't," Superman finally replied after a tense-filled moment. "We can't save them all, but we do our best to save all that we can, right?"

"I guess."

"You have a good heart Captain- you wouldn't be here if you didn't- and we trust that you'll make the right choices, for us, and humanity. I'll admit it- sometimes the pressure is a bit much for me too."

"But you're Superman!"

The Kryptonian laughed. "I"m still only a man, though. Sometimes I wonder if I can hold the weight of the world on my shoulders."

"I think I could handle the weight of the world," Marvel mused aloud. "I have the stamina of Atlas."

"Well... that's a good thing to know. But my point is, you don't need to do it alone- and you aren't- the whole team supports each other, and we help each other out whenever it's needed," Superman finished, giving him a warm smile. "Well, I've got to head back now, double-life and all that- but it was nice talking with you."

"Yes- I mean, thank you, Superman, sir."

"Feel free to call me Clark- all my friends do," Superman- or Clark called over his shoulder, leaving the disguised 10-year-old in a state of shock and awe, unable to reply until it was too late.

Even as he teleported back to Fawcett, and transformed back into his plain, normal form, he found himself replaying their conversation over and over, unsure how to feel.

His anxiety from before had lessened, but there was something else- for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn't feel alone- and he had a friend, an actual friend, not just someone he told himself was his friend so he didn't feel alone at night.

The fact that it was Superman himself who had said that seemed to make it even more insane, but he probably just said that to everyone... still, if he had meant it, then maybe it was actually really nice to feel like he had a friend for once.

Billy pushed open the doors to the diner, stepping in from the cold street, and relishing in the warmth of the building.

Still, he reminded himself as he stepped up to the counter and started a conversation with Mr. Jones, that everyone has a cutoff point- for plenty of foster homes, it had been him merely talking out of line, or not getting good enough grades, or 'not focusing' enough. Sometimes people would cut him off without him ever knowing why.

But with Superman- er, Clark,- he knew what the cutoff point would be for him, and all of the Justice League: his age.

And yeah, maybe he wasn't the closest with any of them right now, but he was determined not to lose that spot among them, the safest place he had- no matter what, he wouldn't lose anyone he cared about... even if he hated lying (and was kinda terrible at it), this was a secret he was going to keep for as long as he could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Hal just try to figure out a way to help out Cap, but end up making Billy 78% more stressed than if they had just left him alone

Hal was someone who understood the need for a secret identity- heck, nearly everyone in the Justice League understood that- but the thing he didn't quite understand, was keeping it a secret from the team. 

Sure, there was privacy and what-not, but the thing was, everyone knew who everyone was, all except for the small exception of Captain Marvel.

The man himself was a mystery to many of the Leaguers- and he suspected that even Batman didn't know the truth behind that cheery face the big red cheese wore. 

He watched as Marvel himself Zeta-tubed away, with a smile still on his face. That man was so friendly, it was almost suspicious.

Clark, who had apparently just finished a conversation with Marvel, gave him a quick wave, so Hal approached him.

"Hey Supes,'" he greeted, walking up beside him. "What's up with the Captain? He seemed happy."

"True, but he always looks happy."

"I can't argue with that- he's like, the opposite of Batman when it comes to friendliness."

Clark laughed, looking back at where the Captain had just disappeared in the Zeta-tubes. "I don't know how he finds the energy for it though," he stated, frowning slightly. "He seems very affected by people, like he's always in a rush to save them."

"Aren't we all?"

"Yes, but this is different," Clark said thoughtfully. "I try to do as much good as I can both as Superman, and as a civilian- and I still barely have any spare time- but have you read all of Captain Marvel's reports?"

"No, I didn't think much ever happens over in Fawcett."

"Well, it does get its fair share of villains, sure, but the amount he does that doesn't involve fighting? Sometimes I wonder how he even has the time."

"Yeah, he really must have his hands full," he agreed. "To each their own, right?"

"I suppose... as long as he's not overdoing himself. He seemed different today... But, I, unfortunately, have plenty to do myself. I need to go back now," Clark said, giving him a short nod before heading to the tubes himself.

Hal bid the Man of Steel goodbye as he thought over their conversation and head to the Watchtower kitchen.

Marvel was a real goody-goody, and he would probably overwork himself helping the people of Fawcett, even if it was just helping people with their groceries. And though he'd been around for a while now, he still had that new-superhero energy that meant he was in danger of burning out too quickly.

Sure, maybe they didn't know each other very well, but he still felt for the guy. Maybe Cap could use some help or even a bit of company over in Fawcett? 

Hm, maybe that was actually a good idea.

He glanced over to where Barry was sitting at the table- he might as well rope one of his best friends into this.

"Hey Allen, you free this afternoon?" he asked, sliding into the seat across from him.

"Sure, I could make time- what's up?"

"Not much, I just thought we could go visit good ol' Cap in Fawcett, check it out a bit, maybe help him if he needs it," he suggested.

"That's... random, and definitely feels like there's an ulterior motive behind it, but sure, I'm in- I've run past Fawcett a few times now- it'd be nice to take a slower look around."

"Ulterior motives?  _ Please _ , I would never... but come on, aren't you at least a little bit curious what Cap does all day in Fawcett? He's almost always available for missions- I don't even think the guy sleeps."

"True," Barry agreed thoughtfully. "Should we call him first?"

"Nah, he'll be happy to see us, I'm sure. He's happy all the time, it'll be fine," he assured since he was sure himself that all would be fine.

"So we're basically going to stalk him."

"No, of course not... well, sorta," he admitted. "Does it really matter?"

Barry had some things to take care of in Central city but agreed to meet him there soon.

The sun was bright in Fawcett, and despite the winter air, there was a warmth to the town that made everything seem brighter. School was out by now, and there were a few kids walking home among the somewhat larger crowd of adults who were each heading off to their own destinations. The streets were lined with office buildings and storefronts, but all of them were well-kept- even the ones that looked as if they had been there for years.

Fawcett seemed like your classic picture-perfect town and that was no doubt due to Marvel's tireless efforts in keeping the place safe. Then again, if the city was this well-taken care of, then Cap probably didn't need much help.

Eh, but was here anyway, and the Cap always seemed a bit reclusive- now would be a good time to get to know the guy better, so why not stick around for a bit?

He walked around the city, keeping his eyes out for the Big Red Cheese, but everything was pretty quiet, so he headed to the place that he and Barry agreed to meet at, and waited. Soon enough, the speedster arrived.

"So what're we gonna do here anyways?" Barry asked as they began walking down the street.

"I figured we could just walk around the city for a bit, take a tour, see if Cap shows up- which, according to the news- he's pretty much always around. Supes mentioned that he's been doing a lot of hero work."

"I'm begging you- can we stop for some food first? I'm starving."

"Seeing as there's practically nothing to help out with in this city, I suppose a short break should be fine," he agreed, grabbing his phone and looking up nearby places. "What do you say to a good ol' classic diner? It's got good ratings."

"I honestly don't care at this point, I'll go anywhere."

Shrugging, Hal led the way to where the map was leading him, until they finally stopped outside a small diner, obviously an old place, but also clearly cared for by the owners.

Inside, the diner looked like the classic family-owned casual diner that pretty much every town had. The furniture was well-worn but taken care of properly, and the people that sat around the restaurant looked like they were apart of the picture as well, as if they were always meant to be there.

It was obvious that visitors like them weren't all that common, so they chose a booth near the corner of the diner that looked out over the street, and sat down. 

"I can see how Cap fits in here," Barry commented. "It's really... Captain Marvel."

"That's a great description," Hal remarked sarcastically.

"Well, do you have a better way to put it?"

"Hey, I'm not judging," Hal put up his hands in defence before a kid stepped up to their table, holding two menu's that partially hid his face.

"Hi welcome sorry for the wait here are your menus I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders ok bye," the kid rushed out in one sentence, quick enough to rival Barry's speech patterns before quickly setting down the menus and heading off to one of the other tables.

Judging by his age though, this was probably a family-run business, so the kid was probably shy when dealing with people besides the regulars.

Hal waved it off and focused his attention on the menu. After all, it didn't matter much, right? It's not like he knew the kid.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Billy had been more than thankful when Mr. Jones said he could take a shift waiting on some tables for a few extra dollars- this was really going to help him get through the week.

And it was going pretty smoothly too- the regulars were used to him by now, and the visitors never questioned him.

Two men had just arrived a few minutes ago, visitors from the looks of it, and took the booth by the back, so he grabbed two menus from the counter and headed towards them, when he saw their faces, stopping dead in his tracks.

So... 

The Flash and Green Lantern were here for some reason, in Fawcett, and at his job of all places. 

The chances of this being a coincidence? Incredibly high. The chances of this being a cruel joke made to mock his entire existence? Much higher.

What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? Was there a protocol? Cuz' as much as he'd like to think this was all by chance, _ two  _ Justice League members who had never been to his city before, had now somehow managed to find him in civilian form, at his job.

It was too weird.

Still, he wasn't about to just bail on the job and leave poor Mr. Jones understaffed and wondering where he went, so he had walked over to them and done what he was paid to do as fast as he could without showing too much of his face before getting the heck out of there.

_ Oh gods, _ they knew it was him, didn't they? That was the only reasonable explanation as to why they were there.

Trying not to panic, he continued about his work like everything was totally and completely fine- which it was! _ Totally fine. _

His work with the other customers was almost becoming enjoyable since they were all pretty nice, and noticeably  _ not _ Justice League members who may or may not be spying on him.

But he couldn't ignore his rounds, and eventually was forced to go back to that dreaded table. Grabbing a few glasses and a jug of water, he considered if he should put his hood up or if that would only make it more suspicious when he finally decided to give up and face whatever the two of them had in store for him.

He set down the glasses on the table and was pouring the water when Hal spoke up.

"So you're a local here in Fawcett, right?" He asked Billy as if it weren't totally obvious by the fact that he was  _ working _ in the city.

"Yes sir."

"I hope it's ok if we ask, but what's it like here?" 

That... was an awfully vague question that screamed _ 'I'm gathering information for some reason, and I'm not gonna say why.'  _

"What... exactly do you mean?"

Hal shrugged. "I mean, what's it like? It seems like a nice town- definitely safer than Gotham."

_ Safe? _ So that's what they were here about, they wanted to check up on him- or Captain Marvel, at least. 

His shoulders dropped with relief at this realization. Of course they weren't here because they thought a random kid who is practically dead to the government was actually one of their teammates.

That would be ridiculous.

But why would they be asking, to their knowledge, a random 10-year-old working at a normal diner in the city?

And besides that, Billy was probably the worst person to ask about this, not because he would be biased, but because he never really felt 'safe,' what with always seeking out dangerous people and keeping his identity hidden, but it was an interesting question. Did the people of Fawcett feel safe, even with him around?

Billy had spent pretty much every day on the streets and kept steady tabs on the crime rates. He did his best to keep everyone safe, but admittedly they did get worse during the winter months- maybe that's what they were here about? Maybe they had noticed that he had started slowing down in his activities during this time?

Despite all the effort he put into being Cap, he still had to make sure that he survived as Billy Batson, and sometimes that meant putting in a little less time as Captain Marvel to make sure he was able to... well,  _ survive. _

But that had resulted in a 3% increase in crime rates, and if that was enough for two Justice League members to pick up on then Billy really must've been slacking too much. He was ashamed.

"Uh, kid?" 

Billy snapped out of his thoughts. "Right, um sorry, I just..."

He was overthinking this. They weren't expecting an exact report of crime rates from some random kid, they were only looking for the sort of thing that a completely average kid would say.

Now if only he had some actual experience in that field besides the 70s sitcoms that he vaguely remembers his dad showing him.

"Fawcett is a great city, and I definitely enjoy living here, It's incredibly safe, and oh boy does everyone seem happy," he stated with a forced smile. "It also has a pretty good tourist reputation, and as far as I can tell there's absolutely nothing wrong here that would warrant investigation from the Justice League."

"You _ really _ like it here, huh?"

"Yep, totally. And I know the crime rates raised a bit in the past month, but I promise the crime rates will be better next month, I'll be back with your orders soon," he added on quickly in one breath before rushing off to the kitchen, wishing for the billionth time that the wisdom of Solomon could be used in his mortal form.

He was pretty sure he had just screwed up- kids his age wouldn't be so weirdly positive about the place where they lived, right? Oh gods, he was being suspicious, wasn't he? Was he supposed to be... pessimistic? Nonchalant? 

It would be fine. The next time he went over, he could just be negative about Fawcett, and it would balance the whole thing out. They would leave without any questions left, while he stepped up his game as Marvel, and no one would bother him again.

A great plan, if he did say so himself. 

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Was he... mocking us?" Allen asked as their waiter went to continue his work. "He was mocking us, right? No actual kid talks like that."

And Hal had to agree.

Yeah, so asking the kid some questions wasn't the best idea. He clearly had no clue how to reply, and it only made for some awkward silences that caused Hal to realize that in the kid's eyes they were two completely random adults asking sketchy questions.

"Hal, you broke the kid," Barry stated.

"I didn't think it was that big of a question!"

"Right, and why did we ask a kid about the crime rates in the city again?"

"Hey, that he brought up all on his own."

"Maybe we should just ask someone else," Barry suggested.

"Yeah, that's a lot more reasonable," Hal agreed, feeling slightly bad for spooking the kid as they moved onto more casual conversation topics.

Eventually, the kid came back to take their orders, and still honestly looked slightly freaked, so Hal took it that he should probably do something instead of leaving this literal child in slight fear of them.

"Sorry for that random question we just kinda dropped on you," Hal apologized, handing his menu back after their orders were taken. 

_ "We?" _ Barry said quietly, to which Hal ignored.

"It's cool, I've met a lot of weird people before," Billy shrugged nonchalantly. "Not that you're weird or anything, sorry, but if you have any more questions, I guess I could answer them."

"Hm, alright then," he decided, figuring there was one question this kid would probably get excited to answer. "What do you think about Captain Marvel?"

In his experience, everyone liked to brag about their local superhero being the best- and Cap was incredibly powerful, so Billy would probably get excited.

"Oh, I hate him, he's the worst," Billy answered immediately, and quite confidently too, causing Barry to choke on his water.

"What? Why?" Because honestly? Even though the man could be annoying at times, no one outright hated Marvel, much less some ten-year-old kid.

Billy staggered at the question, apparently not used to people questioning why he didn't like the hero. 

"Well, y'know... he's just kinda lame."

"Lame? He seems pretty strong- he's in the Justice League, right?" Barry finally joined in, apparently just as confused as he was.

"Yeah, well, I'm allowed to have my own opinions, ok?"

And damn, he was, but this seemed so random. The kid seemed to love everything about Fawcett, yet the thing he hated the most about living there was the very person who protected it, and apparently, it was a common enough opinion that he could say it confidently and be surprised when his comment was questioned.

Hal's detective skills were pretty much equal to a plastic piece of bread when compared to Bruce, but even he could see that this situation was stranger than he could've ever imagined.

Fawcett was a bright city, with an even brighter hero, but could that just be nothing more than a facade to cover up the dark secrets that lay beneath the surface? What was going on in this town?

"Sorry," Billy said, stepping back from them a bit. "I shouldn't have reacted like that-"

"Don't worry about it," Hal smiled at him, but when he saw the fear in the kid's eyes, he wondered just what was happening here. 

Maybe it hadn't been them that the kid was scared of all along... maybe there was something more happening here, under the cover of Fawcett's cheery disposition. He tipped the kid well- he looked like he needed it.

As they left, Hal couldn't figure out if this short trip had been pretty normal and boring, or if they had just stumbled on what might become the Justice League's darkest secret.

But he had a bad feeling that he was going to be finding out, one way, or another- though decidedly, he wouldn't be the one to pursue this case- it would be a lot smoother to bring this to the attention of their detective.

And he had a feeling that Batman would be more than interested in this case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not used to writing the DC characters, so I'm not incredibly happy with how this chapter turned out, but it was still pretty fun to write- I really love Barry and Hal’s friendship! This is my first attempt at writing either character, so I hope I was able to do them justice (hahaaa get it? GET IT? Yes yes I’m very funny, thank you) .
> 
> Thank you for all the support in the last chapter! I was actually super surprised that it’s over 100 kudos??? That’s seriously wild, thank you guys so much <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! The first chapter is always the hardest and therefore tends to be a lil dull, but don’t worry, it picks up from here! (lol those of you here from my Spidey fics already know the kind of crack shit lengths my stories go to).
> 
> Anywayssss- thank you again for reading!!


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